A dock near the Eastbank Esplanade along the Willamette River officially was dedicated to former Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth Thursday evening, as a small group of people gathered to honor the man who died in August 2008.

There was a nice turnout of former players, family members and those closest to Duckworth, including teammates Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey. Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman dedicated the site around 5:30 p.m., just after Trail Blazers president Larry Miller, Steven Duckworth, Porter and Kersey said a few words.

I covered the sad and sudden passing of the "Gentle Giant" last summer. Click on the following links to read the obituary and a story detailing his memorial service. Here is a sampling of what was said this evening about Duckworth and the dedication of his dock:

"It's been a little more than a year since we lost a dear member of our family. For me, not a day goes by, or every so often, I'll run into somebody and they'll have a Duckworth story. There's always a Kevin Duckworth story somewhere. People talked about how he loved fishing and he loved the water and he loved boats. So this is definitely very appropriate for us to be dedicating this dock today."
--Larry Miller, Trail Blazers President

"Once again, it's a tremendous honor for Kevin and his family and the whole Blazer family to have this dock named after him. I know he's smiling down from heaven and saying, 'Hey, y'all did this for me?' But it's a great day, a beautify day out to be celebrating this. Here's to you Big Duck. This is your dock baby"
--Jerome Kersey, former Trail Blazers forward

"As an ex player, it's always nice to have people come out and recognize what you've done, what you mean tot he community and this is just another piece of the Blazers' organization (showing) Duck that he was always loved. His happy place was always on the water and fishing and obviously I'm just thrilled to be here and take part. I love and miss you big fellow. We will all enjoy it and walk by here and think of you often."
--Terry Porter, former Trail Blazers point guard

"I will admit; I admired Kevin as a basketball player. But I really got to appreciate who he was, unfortunately, after he passed. I always knew he was a great stalwart of the community. But when I learned more about his passion to Portland and to Oregon and his natural passion for the outdoors and fishing, in our search for an appropriate way to honor him, it only became a natural to think of this dock."
--Dan Saltzman, Portland City Commissioner